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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · temple · cue · lean · sharp · band · prune · bound

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. sharp — clever
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. tear — from crying
  7. band — a music group
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. band — a ring
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bound — obliged
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bound — tied together
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bound — certain
  18. lean — to bend
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. prune — to trim
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cue — for pool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com